About Me

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap

I’m a wife, mom, and a self proclaimed soap nerd with an entrepreneurial spirit-living in Lubbock Texas, (a place best known for our expansive horizon, cotton,and as the birth place of Buddy Holly.)I guess you might say I’ve got a serious addiction to all things soap related. Come hang out, as I share my adventures in a world where chemistry meets art.

Etsy Mini

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“Homemade soap feels good: soft, rich, enveloping, soothing. The lather is dense and penetrating rather than thin and airy. It leaves an emollient film on your skin that makes it feel soft and sensuous. Homemade soap is comforting in ways which manufactured soap can never be: its look, its weight, its bulk, how it feels in your hands, looks in its dish. There is something ineffable about homemade soap. It’s not homogenized, pasteurized, deodorized, sanitized or synthesized - it’s one of a kind, every bar different, each unique. It is idiosyncratic in the way of all homemade and handmade things.”

April 1, 2012

My "little corner" is quite literally a little corner of my little kitchen. My family is making a wee bit of a sacrifice in terms of space, so that I can have a semi dedicated area.

My "little corner" of the world-notice the chair within just mere inches of the dresser-that's how close the dinner table is to the dresser-seriously tight quarters.

I've been making soap for four years now and as any soap maker knows the equipment seems to multiply exponentially from the beginning. At first things are innocent enough- you need a few bowls, spatulas,scales,various molds,jugs of oils and eo's, and before you know it a bar cutter comes into your life-taking up a bit more space. Eventually you outgrow the jugs of base oils and move on to order,and subsequently find the need to store 50# pails of oils, 35# cubitainers, larger molds, a log splitter/planer, larger buckets to mix your batch in-and on and on. This is the way a passion quietly and insidiously takes over your life.

I'm quite happy to have this little semi dedicated space(and grateful that my family is willing to make the exception for me to have it.) Prior to this, I had supplies in the pantry, under the sink,on shelves in my bedroom and pretty much any cubbie hole I could find to store my "things" in.

I realize the dresser is less than perfect-it's after all a garage sale find(meant to be a first furnishing type deal for my son-while in his apt.- he rejected it.) While aesthetically it lacks a bit, a few of the drawers need adjusting, it could use a coat of paint for a bit of stain, it's missing a pull or two-overall it's a great piece. This dresser was a quality piece in it's day-solid wood and sturdy with lots of drawer space and plenty of flat surface on top making it perfect for supply storage and a small workspace. I actually managed to get probably 90% of my soap supplies into the drawers and it's holding all of my relevant equipment on top. It's a great option for those of you who like me can't quite swing a studio/dedicated workspace yet.

This small bit of organization helps me feel so much better mentally. I had a very hard time being so discombobulated-I just couldn't function very well. It's a tremendous relief to have all my "toys" together, and in my eyes-the dresser is a beautiful thing. ;-))

The top surface holds my handmade log splitter/planer (a large cumbersome piece that is a necessity with a block mold), a bar cutter, block mold, mixing bucket, and pvc molds. Yay! I typically mix my batch over on the bar in the kitchen so, it's very convenient to pull what I need from the dresser and just carry it over to my workspace.I love my new space-it's sunny and bright and best of all everything is centralized now-no more running from one cubbie to another to find what I need to make a batch of soap. Soap cures in a shelf unit in another room.*Just in case you're wondering the splitter/planer is not quite complete yet-it's useable as is but will eventually have two more wires to split the block all at once.

I can really relate to your storage/workspace issues! Although I'm a relative newbie soapmaker, I've already accumulated quite a bit of gear. I also make candles so I'm working out of plastic storage boxes, making product on my kitchen bench and then packing it all away again after each session! A major pain in the butt! You certainly have a nice dresser there - great storage potential! And, of course I love the equipment you have on top - can't wait to get my hands on some of those gadgets! :)Pauline